Twelve Days
by Jaiaelle
Summary: Twelve Days of Christmas, Quinn/Artie style.  Artie wants to give Quinn a Christmas she'll never forget.  Written in response to a request at the Quinn/Artie forum.
1. The First Day

_Author's Note: This was written in response to a request made by VM is my Religion in the Quinn/Artie forum here at ff net. Christmas Quartie fluff abounds. :) Please read and review!_

_**June**_

Thinking that it was too hot to function, Artie wheeled himself into the relatively cool diner. He wasn't even sure what had prompted him to make his way into the small restaurant, across town from his house, except for, perhaps, the lure of the best shakes in town. Going to the counter, he ordered one from the waitress, winking at her in the process. "Oh, Artie," she said, giving a roll of her eyes, before leaving to hand his order off. Grinning, he turned away, as always, happy that those who worked there remembered and were on a first name basis with him.

Scanning the diner for an acceptable table, he found his eyes drawn to a familiar form hunched in a booth at the far end. Frowning, he put his hands on the rims of his wheels and pushed himself to her side.

"Quinn?"

Looking up from her half eaten slice of pie, her eyes met his and she attempted a smile. "Hey, Artie."

Noting that she appeared tired, he had to ask, "What's wrong?"

Sniffing, she shrugged, then pushed at her pie with her fork. "Family stuff." She paused before continuing. "And on top of that, Sam doesn't know when to quit. I told him we're through but he won't listen. The worst thing is, I'm not even sure if I believe it myself. I mean, he makes me feel, like, really special…"

Glumly, Artie nodded, right as the waitress from before placed his chocolate shake in front of him. As she left, Artie glanced at Quinn, a little shyly, then said, "I know what you mean. That's how Brittany makes me feel…special. But she doesn't…understand me. She's sweet and cute and…that's about all she is." Making a face, he sipped at his shake. "That was kinda mean."

Shaking her head, Quinn protested, "No, it's not. That pretty much describes Brittany…mostly. Uh, but what about Tina? I heard she wanted you back?"

Biting the inside of his cheek, Artie didn't respond for several minutes before saying, quietly, "She does. And Tina's the one I always thought I wanted to be with, even when I was with Brittany. But…Tina doesn't appreciate me."

Sliding the plate away from her, Quinn made a sound of disapproval. "No, she doesn't. Because she's an idiot. You're an amazing guy, Artie. And you could do better than her. And Brittany. You need someone who appreciates and understands you."

Shocked at her almost outburst, Artie's eyes widened. "O-okay. Thanks." He took another sip of his chocolate shake before regarding her solemnly. "And you need someone who does more than make you feel special. You need someone who you feel strongly about enough to make him feel special." He wasn't sure that made sense but, from the smile on her face, he assumed it did.

After that, they fell into a comfortable silence and Artie wondered if they were on the road to friendship.

_**July**_

Stretching her legs, Quinn shifted her position on Artie's bed, watching as he played Battlefront II, a Star Wars video game. "It's hot," she whined after several minutes. "Are you sure the conditioner's on?"

"Yes, Quinn," he replied, not moving his eyes from his television screen. "The being hot thing…must just be you." As the implication of his words hit him, he blushed a little but refused to clarify. He knew that she knew what he meant.

"Nice to know you think I'm hot," she smirked.

"Yeah, yeah." Finishing the level, he threw he controller down. "You should play."

"I'd rather watch," she said, her tone sounding suggestive.

Staring at her for several seconds, Artie burst out laughing. "What?" he asked, once he had regained control of himself. "You're talking about video games or something else?"

Sitting up and leaning on her elbows, she pouted a little. "I was talking about the video game, Artie, obviously. Don't be obscene."

Still sputtering, he insisted he wasn't. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, especially seeing how angry, whether real or not, she was becoming over his amusement, he changed tactics. "Maybe you won't play because you know I'll beat you."

"Will not!" Jumping off the bed, she grabbed both controllers, handed one to him and started pressing buttons on the other, starting a level.

Ten minutes later, she was gloating in her victory.

Even though he should have been annoyed, he was, instead, hiding his attraction due to the fact that she had bested him at one of his favorite and most played games.

_**August**_

"It was a Saturday."

Gazing at him, Quinn nodded slightly, encouraging him to go on.

"I don't remember a lot, you know, as it happened. I do remember waking up and seeing my mom's tear stained face."

Taking his hand in hers, she squeezed it gently.

"They told me I would never walk again and I started…to cry."

He noticed that she swallowed several times, as if she was holding back her own tears.

"My greatest desire, since then, is that I would be able to walk. I could be better if I could walk."

One cool hand on his cheek prevented him from continuing. Gently, she directed his face towards hers and he knew, just by looking into her eyes, that she didn't think that at all.

Slowly, his the corners of his mouth tuned up in a small smile.

_**September**_

In the third week of school, after the final bell had sounded and on his way to glee, Artie noticed that Quinn was staring aimlessly into her locker so he wheeled to her side and touched his fingers to her hand. Startled, she spun to face him.

"Quinn?"

Upon seeing him, a bright smile lit her face but it quickly dimmed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, feeling concerned.

"Oh it's just…" Slamming her locker shut, she began the trek toward the choir room. "It's nothing."

Tugging on her hand, indicating that she should stop, which she did, he gazed up at her, more concerned then ever. Over the last few months, they had come to a place where they discussed pretty much everything. That she wasn't willing to about whatever was clearly bothering her worried him on one hand but, on the other, made him doubt if she could really talk about anything with him, as she claimed. If she couldn't...well, that kind of hurt.

Before he could give voice to any of his thoughts, she blurted out, "It's Beth. Shelby…she…she's moving!" Without warning, Quinn began to cry and, almost on impulse, Artie pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. "My baby girl is leaving…"

Not sure what to say, as Quinn rarely brought up the daughter she had given away, Artie raised a hand, stroking her hair.

"I…didn't even visit her all of last year but n-now that I finally am, she's leaving to anoth-another state." Tucking her head against his shoulder, she murmured, "It was so hard giving her up, Artie. It hurt to think someone else was raising her. I refused to go see her but…all that changed over the past few months. She's my daughter and -" She stopped talking as a new batch of tears made their way to her eyes.

In response, he held her tighter.

_**October**_

For Rachel's Halloween party, Quinn dressed up as Supergirl. When he saw her, Artie's mouth dropped open and he found himself not being able to turn his eyes away from her the whole night, despite the fact that Tina and Brittany had both decided to wear skimpy outfits and were vying for his attention. Neither could compete in level of hotness or sexiness with Quinn, though.

Next to her, he felt kind of plain and boring, in his three hole punch costume, an idea that wasn't even his but he borrowed from a television show. He felt even worse when he compared himself to Sam, who was dressed up as Superman, drawing attention from most of the girls in his form fitting costume, and desperately trying to flirt with Quinn at every opportunity.

Not that Artie cared, beyond thinking that Quinn could do better than Sam, but he took a certain amount of joy in the fact that Quinn spent most of the night near him and ignoring Sam.

But the highlight of the evening came when Quinn finally snapped at Sam, after he suggested that them coming as Superman and Supergirl was more than just coincidence, "You do realize that Superman and Supergirl are cousins right? So if it's more than a coincidence, what does that mean?"

Stunned, Sam shrugged, embarrassed, then slunk away.

Rolling her eyes, Quinn perched herself on Artie's knee. "God, he was getting annoying." Turning her head, she smiled at him. "Did I mention I really like your Jim costume? You look hot."

Grinning, Artie wished that Sam had stuck around stuck around only a little bit longer to have heard Quinn's comment.

_**November**_

On the last day of November, Artie felt completely ready for Christmas. He was so excited, especially since Christmas was his favorite time of the year.

But Quinn didn't seem to be looking forward to it.

When Artie asked her about it, she cast her gaze to her hands, then whispered, "Beth's gone…my dad doesn't want anything to do with me this year…Mom's super busy with work. I just don't see how it's going to be a good Christmas at all. But," she lifted her eyes, the smile on her lips not reaching her eyes. "it's fine."

It wasn't fine, however, and Artie intended to do something, anything, to make Quinn's Christmas one she would never forget.

_**December - The First Day**_

Twelve days before Christmas, and two days before break began, Quinn approached her locker, slowing when she noticed a note taped to the front of it.

"On the first day of Christmas…"

Tilting her head at the incomplete thought, she opened her locker and a note fluttered out.

"…a true friend gave to Quinn, one single red rose," it read.

Reaching into her locker, her eyes bright, Quinn found a red rose. Bringing it to her nose, she took a breath, inhaling the fragrance. Looking around, she tried to spot who had left the gift in her locker but spied no one.

Down the hall, Artie watched her reaction, then slowly smiled.


	2. The Second Day

_**December - The Second Day**_

Staring at the red rose, as she ran a brush through her hair while in the process of readying herself for school, Quinn wondered who might consider him or herself a "true friend" to Quinn. The only person she would even think about associating with the phrase was Artie. Over the months, she had come to rely on him and to trust him. He was her best friend. The thought that he might be the one who had left the rose made her smile. It also caused a sort of shiver to run down her spine, in a way that was not at all indicative of anything unpleasant. In fact, it was exactly the opposite.

Practically glowing, she quickly finished getting ready, bolted out the door, making sure to lock it, dashed to her car then drove to school.

Once there, she approached her locker, shoes squeaking against the linoleum floor. As she had guessed, a note was taped to her locker. Snatching it off, her eyes scanned the words,

"On the second day of Christmas…"

Eargerly, she spun the combination on her locker and opened it to reveal another note.

"…a true friend gave to Quinn, two hair ties, to replace all those she breaks, and one red rose."

Laughing, she drew out the white elastic bands, stretching them so they would fit over her wrist. Then, ever so subtly, she turned her head from side to side, looking for Artie. Instead she spotted Sam, a goofy grin on his face. As soon as they made eye contact, he started towards her. Watching him almost skip over, she felt a wave of nausea come over her. Could it be that Sam was the one getting the gifts for her? The nausea was soon replaced by sadness. It would be like Sam to leave her gifts with the theme of the 12 days of Christmas. So would it be like Artie but…Sam was the one watching her, waiting.

"Quinn!"

Facing him, she urged herself to ignore how she felt. It was a practice she had once been used to but which had been fading with every passing day that she was friends with Artie. He made it so easy to really be herself. "Hi, Sam."

"I was wondering if you wanted to go see Avatar with me?" he asked, a lopsided smile in place.

Gazing him in disbelief for several seconds, she finally sputtered, "It's STILL in theaters?"

"Um, no…" He shifted uncomfortably for a few seconds. "Like at my house."

"Sam…" Her unprepared speech was cut off by the ringing of the bell. "Saved by the bell," she muttered, flashing him a smile before racing to class. Sinking into her seat, she let out a sigh, glancing at Artie, who sat next to her.

"Good morning," he greeted her, cheerfully.

"Good morning," she returned, with not nearly as much cheer as he. Her fingers gingerly touched the bands on her wrist and she sighed.

Why couldn't they have been from Artie?


	3. The Third Day

_**December - The Third Day**_

The next day went by incredibly slowly, the ticking of the clock as it's hands moved from number to number almost taunting Quinn. All she wanted to do was go home and start baking cookies for the homeless shelter's bake sale which was only a few days away. Finally, the last bell sounded and the kids jostled each to get out of class, jostled each other in the hall and jostled each other as they all made a mad dash to vacate the premises. Most didn't even check their lockers. Quinn, however, slowed near her locker, frowning when she saw that no note was taped there. Maybe Sam had decided to end the twelve days of Christmas after two. Sighing, she walked past her locker, towards the double doors at the end of the hall. She had just reached them when she heard a voice clearing. Without shifting her eyes, she smiled.

"Hey, Artie."

Grinning up at her, he replied, "Hey, Quinn," while pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

Leaning against the door, she glanced down, her smile growing when she saw his sweater, which she hadn't paid the greatest of attention to earlier. "Rudolph!" she cried in joy.

Self consciously tugging at the sweater, he blushed a little. "Yup. Red nose ready to guide the sleigh."

"I love it!" Without thinking about it, one finger stretched out to trace the reindeer's red nose, which made Artie blush even more, though Quinn didn't notice. "You're still coming on Monday, right?"

"I'll be there," he told her, nodding, affirming that he would indeed be at the homeless shelter bake sale.

"Perfect!" Bending at the waist, she gave him a brief hug, then ran a hand through his hair, pushing the door and running out into the blustery weather before he could respond. Gazing over her shoulder, she laughed as he mock glared at her and yelled,

"Not the hair, Quinn! I will get you for that!"

Quinn practically giggled the whole way home, thinking about Artie's face and the indignation on it over her mussing his precious hair. Artie's concern over his hair looking just so always amused her.

Just as she got home, it started to snow. Instead of rushing in to start her baking, she stood in the snowfall, lifting her arms and letting the snowflakes fall on her face. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the moment for several seconds before a shiver ran down her spine. Carefully, she made her way to her porch, pausing when she noticed a package on her welcome mat. Picking it up, she saw the Times New Roman 14 point font and knew what it was.

"On the third day of Christmas…"

Flipping it over, she read the rest.

"…a true friend gave to Quinn, three Reese's Peanut Butter cups, because they are her absolute favorite, two hair ties and one red rose."

Cold, deft fingers unwrapped the tissue to paper to reveal one red rose, two hair ties, pink this time, and three almost frozen Reese's Peanut Butter cups. Even though she knew they were from Sam, she couldn't help but smile as she entered her nice, warm house.

She had only take a couple of steps when she paused as a thought struck her. When they had been dating, Sam had constantly mistaken her favorite chocolate candy to be dark chocolate Hershey bars. They were her second favorite so it was something she usually overlooked and, eventually, stopped reminding him about altogether.

Which meant the gifts couldn't be from Sam.

But then…who?


	4. The Fourth Day

_**December - The Fourth Day**_

Since she had finished all her baking the previous day, Quinn took the opportunity the Saturday after school let out to sleep in. Around eleven am, she rolled out of bed, threw some sweats on and padded to the kitchen, cell phone in hand. A note on the counter informed her that her mom would be working all day and might manage to be home later to decorate the little tree that had been sitting in their living room, sans decorations, for the last three days.

Sighing, Quinn poured herself a glass of orange juice. As she brought it to her lips, she noticed that a light was flashing on her phone. Picking it up, she grinned when she saw that Artie had texted her.

"What's up, homie? Wanna hang?"

Letting out a squeal of a laugh at his use of homie, Quinn quickly texted him that she was starving and would love to go get something to eat. His answer came just as fast.

"Me too. Meet at Mickey D's?"

Replying with an affirmative, Quinn headed to her room to change but stopped halfway there. It's not as if her sweats weren't acceptable. So, instead of getting dressed into more fashionable clothes, Quinn simply brushed her teeth and combed her hair, slipped her arms into her jacket and ran out into the cold weather. She came to a halt, however, when she noticed a package sitting on the porch swing of her and her mom's side of the porch, that stretched between both halves of the duplex complex. Tilting her head, with a smile, she plucked the package from the bench, opening the envelope taped to it.

"On the fourth day of Christmas…"

Flipping it over, she read the rest.

"…a true friend gave to Quinn, four mini bags of scrap booking materials, for that scrap book she will one day start, three Reese's Butter cups, two hair ties and one red rose."

Removing the bags, which were all about as big as one of those individual bags of potato chips, a wistfully sweet expression crossed over her face. She had, in fact, been meaning to start a scrap book, which only four people knew about her: her mom, Rachel, Puck and Artie.

She discounted Puck at once because she was fairly certain that he wouldn't remember the conversation, of which he had not participated in, she had had with Rachel about scrap booking earlier that year, as he stood by. However, Rachel would…

Or maybe it was her mom, trying to make up for all the hours she was putting in at the office where she worked.

And Artie, of course, was still an option.

For a brief second, it crossed her mind that it could be her dad but…that seemed highly unlikely. The man knew next to little about her and had made it clear, over the summer, he preferred his new family over his old one.

Tucking the present against her body, she hurried to her car, got inside, turned the ignition, pulled out of the driveway and drove the short distance to the McDonald's. Artie was already there, his black truck parked outside.

Inside the fast food restaurant, Artie was sitting at their usual booth, two orders of food in front of him. Sitting in the seat across from him, she smirked. "Going to start packing on the pounds if you keep eating like that."

Spreading his arms and looking down at himself, Artie tilted his head, as if he as picturing the extra weight. "Still think I'd be adorable," he said at last, with a wink.

Laughing, Quinn shook her head, then grabbed the egg and bacon biscuit she knew was hers. "You just can't help it."

"I can't!" he cried, unwrapping his egg mcmuffin. "You know I'm irresistible, girl."

Laughing out loud, drawing the attention from several other patrons, Quinn nodded, a twinkle in her eye, as she responded in a somewhat mocking fashion. "Oh, I do."

Frowning, he took a savage bite from his sandwich, then spoke his next comment with a full mouth of food. "No need to make fun. Hurts my feelings, yo."

By this time, Quinn was laughing so hard she almost fell out of her chair. "Does not."

"Does too!" he protested, once he had finished chewing and had swallowed.

Rolling her eyes, she composed herself enough to take a bite of her sandwich. "They stop serving breakfast at eleven…" she said after several quiet moments of eating.

Sheepishly, Artie shrugged. "I may have already been here."

"You know me too well."

His smile dimming a bit, he took one of her hands and squeezed it gently before withdrawing it back to his side of the table. "That will never be true."

Biting her lip, a trait which wasn't strictly hers but she did often enough for Artie to refer to as one of her things, she twisted her hands in her lap. "We're supposed to decorate the tree tonight but I'm not sure if Mom-" Stopping, she slouched, reluctant to ask him what she wanted to.

"I'll bring the egg nog," he told her, his voice quiet.

Grateful that he had known her question without her having to ask, she lifted one corner of her mouth in a half smile.

She almost asked him, in that instant, if he had been the one leaving the gifts but something held her back.

For now.


	5. The Fifth Day

_**December - The Fifth Day**_

Early Sunday morning, if one considers nine am to be early, Quinn awoke slowly, feeling safe and warm, her body squished up against another. Opening one eye, she looked at Artie's peaceful face, a small smile playing across his lips. She had never seen him look so serene. Or adorable. Carefully, so as not to disturb him, she wiggled out of his arms then tiptoed into the kitchen, where her mom was eating a piece of toast and drinking a cup of coffee.

"Oh, um…Mom…" Awkwardly, she met her mom's gaze, who looked mostly amused. "Artie came over to help with the tree and we just…fell asleep on the couch together."

"I realize that, Sweetie. You were both asleep when I got home last night." Making a face her mom, set her coffee cup down and crossed the kitchen to take Quinn's hands. "I'm so sorry about all the late hours. Things have been crazy."

Trying to smile, Quinn told her mom it was okay.

"It's not okay…but I will definitely be off Christmas eve and day." Reaching up, she brushed a hair out of Quinn's eyes. "Oh, and last night I called Artie's parents so they wouldn't be too worried about him not coming home."

"Thanks, Mom," Quinn responded, gratefully. "He's still asleep. I don't have the heart to wake him. I was thinking I would make him pancakes…"

"That's a lovely idea. I'm going to church. I'll be home in a few hours." Leaning forward, she gave Quinn a kiss on the cheek, then turned to leave.

"Okay, Mom," answered Quinn, moving to the cupboards and beginning to get all the ingredients she needed out. She was stirring the batter, a few minutes later, when her mom reentered the kitchen and placed a parcel of sorts on the table.

"This was on the welcome mat." Then, with a wave of her hand and a goodbye, her mom left, closing the door a bit too loudly behind her.

Checking on Artie, after the disturbance, she found he was still sound asleep, his arms hugging his lithe frame. Thinking that maybe he was cold, she took the blanket that usually sat on the back of the couch and covered him with it, bending over to brush her lips against his forehead in what, she told herself, was simply a friendly peck, nothing more. Once she was sure he was warm enough, she went back to the kitchen.

Gingerly, she lifted the present up, eyes eagerly reading the words on the note,

"On the fifth day of Christmas…"

Flipping it over, she read the rest, her stomach dropping when she saw the chicken scratch at the bottom of the note.

"…a true friend gave to Quinn, five snickerdoodles, because if she could live on one food for the rest of her life, these are what she what would pick, four mini bags of scrap booking material, three Reese's Peanut Butter cups, two hair ties and one red rose.

…fight club tonight at 7."

Feeling sick, she didn't even bother to open the package and examine it's contents. The only person she knew who participated in a fight club was Puck. Puck being the person behind the presents was worse than if it was Sam. Her and Puck had managed to form some sort of a friendship and she wanted to keep it that way. Glancing at the note, she reminded herself that the twelve day gifts were from someone who called himself a true friend. Perhaps Puck was only trying to do something thoughtful and nice, which seemed out of character for him, but he was certainly capable of. And it wasn't as if it would've been any different had it been Artie who had been the gift giver. Only a few days earlier, she had thought and hoped it to be him, not once thinking it was borne out of any romantic notions.

In that case, it was better that it was Puck than Sam or any other boy, besides Artie.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a "Quinn?" coming from the next room. Storing the present in the nearest cupboard, Quinn went out to greet her friend and inform him that breakfast would be ready soon.

As she walked into the living room, she had to chuckle about Puck and his stupid fight club…


	6. The Sixth Day

_Author's Note: I usually don't post these within the same 24 hour period but I'll be super busy all day tomorrow so I'm going to post the update now. Please read and review! Thanks :)_

_**December - The Sixth Day**_

Monday morning, Quinn rolled out of bed at five am and drove to her grandma's house, where, in about three hours time she finally finished one of Artie's Christmas presents. She had been working on it for months and she hoped that he liked it. Afterwards, she drove home, took a shower then proceeded to get ready to go the homeless shelter bake sale/food drive. Out of her closet, she selected a green sweater dress that she had bought in November to wear for that afternoon's event.

At the hall where it was taking place, Quinn walked to her table, while on the lookout for Artie. Sighing, when she didn't at once spot him, she began to set out the hundreds of cookies she had made. A few minutes later, Rachel bounced over, Puck and Mike behind her. The boys set down two baskets of muffins, then left.

"I have more," Rachel assured her. "Noah and Mike graciously offered to assist me in unloading them from my car." Tucking a hair behind her ear, she spun around, eyes roving the crowds. "Where's Artie?"

"He'll be here," Quinn responded while arranging the cookies she was selling, three or five (the price for five was slightly higher than the price for three) in bags made of red saran wrap and held together at the top with shiny green ribbon.

Right on cue, Artie rolled up to the table, his dad behind him carrying the plates of goodies his mom had made for the day. After setting them down, Mr. Abrams exchanged pleasantries with the girls, then told Artie he'd see him later and headed out.

A few minutes later, Rachel stamped her foot, complaining that it was taking the boys an awfully long time to get the rest of the muffins. Finally, she decided to go see what they were doing.

As soon as she was gone, Quinn did a twirl for Artie, showing off her outfit. "You like?

Eyes traveling up and down her figure, he swallowed, nodding. "Yeah…you look like a really hot Christmas tree."

Cheeks flushing at his approval, she murmured a thank you before starting to laugh. "A Christmas tree?"

Sending a lopsided grin her way, he laughed with her. "You kinda do."

Looking down at her knitted green dress, that flared slightly out at the knee, she realized she had to agree. "Now all I need is some tinsel."

Chuckling, Artie wheeled himself behind the table, where Quinn soon joined him, seating herself in a chair next to him.

If he was tense, she didn't notice. If his eyes strayed to her figure every now and again, she didn't notice either. If he muttered, "I'm definitely going on Santa's naughty list," she probably mostly didn't notice that…except for maybe the Santa part.

"What was that? Something about Santa?" she asked.

Gulping, he stared at her with wide eyes for several long seconds. "Uh…I was just…thinking about what I would ask for from Santa this year. What about you? What would you ask for?"

The deflection worked well because, a huge smile on her face, Quinn told him, "I just want for the people I care about most to be happy."

Running his finger along the table's edge, Artie replied, "That's a good one, Quinn. I'm sure they are and will continue to be so…your mom, your grandparents…Beth..."

At the mention of Beth, she seemed somewhat sad but didn't comment on it. "And you?" Her voice was so quiet he almost didn't hear it. "That wish applies for you as well, Artie."

Slowly, he lifted his eyes to meet hers, almost choking on his own emotions at the glow emanating out of her hazel depths. "I…uh…yeah. I'm happy. Happy because my mom and dad are happy…and because you are. You are…right?"

Biting down on her bottom lip, she took one of his hands in hers. "Very happy."

When Rachel returned to the table a few minutes later, two baskets of muffins in her arms, complaining that the boys had ditched her, Artie and Quinn were still holding hands. They didn't let go for awhile.

Late that evening, an exhausted Quinn stumbled onto her porch, tripping over something in the process. Grabbing the item on which she had tripped, she went inside. Not able to make it to her room, she collapsed on the couch in the living room. The present for the sixth day reminded her that she had seen Puck but hadn't brought up any of the gifts with him. Oh well. She'd see him again the next day, at the holiday show the glee club was performing for the children's hospital wing at Lima General.

The note read,

"On the sixth day of Christmas…

…a true friend gave to Quinn, six sheets of Lord of the Ring stickers, because shhh! don't tell anyone but they are Quinn's favorite movies of ALL TIME, five snickerdoodles, four mini bags of scrap booking material, three Reese's Peanut Butter cups, two hair ties and one red rose."

Confused, she pulled out the sheets of stickers, gazing at them blankly. No one knew how much she loved LOTR except for…

Mouth opening slightly and eyes lighting up, she exclaimed, to her empty living room,

"It's Artie! It has to be!"


	7. The Seventh Day

_Author's Note: This chapter was ridiculously difficult to write...I hate when that happens. Please let me know if it works._

_**December - The Seventh Day**_

When Quinn arrived to the children's section of the hospital, the first thing she saw were two children, a girl and a boy, sitting in Artie's lap, staring up at him adoringly as he spoke to them, telling what Quinn guessed was a story. Ignoring Sam's wave and the flick of his wrist that let her know he wanted her over on the side of the room where they were performing, Quinn walked to Artie.

"Already making fans, huh?"

Pausing in mid sentence, Artie seemed poised to answer with sarcasm but hesitated, glancing down at the two little ones in his lap. "I was telling them the story of Rudolph. How everyone viewed his nose as a disability that set him apart but it was what made him special and that so called disability helped him to save the day."

Tilting her head, Quinn studied his face, as well as the children's. Though they might not understand, Artie was telling a story about himself and, probably, about them as well. The little girl had a burn mark on her face that stretched from one cheek to the other while the boy had no hair, an obvious sign of chemotherapy. Choking up a little, Quinn bent down. "It's true," she told them, nodding. "Rudolph was the most special reindeer of them all."

Running a small hand through her hair, the little girl seemed to be deeply pondering Quinn's addition to Artie's story. "But he wasn't pretty," she said at last, a solemnity in her eyes that shouldn't belong to one so young.

Frowning, Quinn quickly answered, with a resounding, "Yes, he was. He was the most beautiful reindeer of all. But the other reindeer didn't think so because he didn't look like them."

The little boy blinked. "Was he as pretty as you are?"

Flattered, a small smile on her lips, Quinn lifted her eyes to Artie, who appeared to be amused and, maybe, touched by the scene before him. Not sure how to respond, Quinn opened her mouth but instead of hearing her own voice, she heard Artie's.

"Nope. No one is as pretty as Quinn."

Agreeing, the little boy hopped down and ran away, while the little girl looked sadly at her hands.

"That's not true," Quinn chastised Artie. "What's your name, sweetie?"

Twisting her hands, the little girl whispered, shyly, "Angela."

"Well, Angela," Quinn said, taking the girls hands in her own. "I think you are very beautiful."

Without any inflection of emotion in her voice, as if she was stating an obvious fact, Angela said, "No, I'm not."

Feeling tears gather, Quinn looked away for a second, then turned her attention to Angela, telling her what Quinn believed to be true. "Yes, you are. I've never seen eyes as green as yours…they're the same color as a Christmas tree!" The green eyes in question lit up. "And your hair. What kind of shampoo do you use?" Placing a hand on her hip, Quinn surveyed the small girls hair. "I think I need to start buying it because I want my hair to be as shiny as yours!"

Giggling, Angela slid off Artie's lap, gave Quinn a hug, then ran to join the other children, who were being ushered in front of the small stage that was pushed up against a wall, as the show was scheduled to start soon. Biting her lip, Quinn slowly stood, wishing she could do more for Angela and the other children. Beside her, Artie was silent, finally reaching up to tug on her hand. Scrunching her brow, she went into his lap.

"That really meant a lot to her."

Quinn was all prepared to downplay what had just occurred but a thought stopped her from doing so. Once, Artie had been a patient in this wing, all those years ago, after the accident. Picturing a tiny Artie, learning to use his wheelchair, tugged at the strings of her heart. "The message behind your story meant a lot to them."

Skimming a finger down her arm, which kind of tickled, Artie swallowed. "Well, I wish someone had told me a story similar to that when I had been in here. Or even…afterwards. I didn't believe it, that I was special, until…" He trailed his thumb over her knuckles. "My parents told me it but they're my parents. They told me it didn't matter if I could walk but a lot of people in my life didn't feel that way. I thought I could be special only if I could I walk. Until you. You make me feel like it doesn't matter if I can't-" As he spoke, his voice grew raspier and raspier until he finally couldn't go on.

Overcome by emotion herself, Quinn embraced him, not able to form words either.

Their tender moment was interrupted when Sam literally stomped over, his footfalls annoyingly loud. "Hate to end your…cuddling but Quinn, you're up."

Breaking the epic hug, Quinn and Artie took their places on stage, Quinn casting a glare in Sam's direction before forgetting him, once the strains of music sounded and Mr. Schue pointed at her, the cue to start singing.

While she sang, "This Christmas," Quinn often found her gaze lingering on Artie, their eyes locked, as if she was singing the song to him, which maybe she was, a little bit.

After a sort of disgusting dinner of greasy diner food with her fellow glee cub members, and an impromptu table dance where Brittany attempted to get Artie to "fall back in love with her," (her words) not once realizing that Artie had never been in love with her in the first place, Quinn was finally home. Her present was waiting for her. The events of the day had distracted her from asking Artie about the twelve day gifts but she doubted she would have anyway. When he wanted to out himself as the giver, he would.

Plucking if off the ground, she went inside and opened it, as always reading the note first.

"On the seventh day of Christmas…

…a true friend gave to Quinn, seven colored shoelaces, because Quinn wasn't allowed to wear anything but white shoelaces when she was a little girl, six sheets of Lord of the Rings stickers, five snickerdoodles, four mini bags of scrap booking materials, three Reese's Peanut Butter cups, two hair ties and one red rose."

Laughing, Quinn pulled out the multi-colored laces. A few minutes later, she was re-lacing her white keds with a pair of red laces.

Contemplating his thoughtfulness in selecting each gift, Quinn, after some deliberation, texted Artie.

"Hi."

"Hi?"

"I'm glad you're my friend."

"…I'm glad you're my friend too."


	8. The Eighth Day

_**December - The Eighth Day**_

The buzzing of her cell phone pulled Quinn out of a deep slumber sometime past noon on Wednesday. Groaning, she rolled over to check and see who was calling/texting/bothering her.

"Quinn! I have just finished organizing my clothes, color coordinated of course, and have decided I need to get rid of quite a few outfits and such. There is -"

The text couldn't all fit in one and the message continued to a second, leaving no doubt, even if Quinn hadn't checked the name, that it was Rachel.

"a very cute white cardigan that made me think of you...that I have never worn! Would you like me to bring it over?"

Sighing, Quinn typed out an "I guess."

Less than a second later, she received a response of "That is fantastic! I will be there shortly!"

By shortly, she meant "I'm right outside of your house," because Quinn had barely gotten out of bed when loud and repetitive knocks came from the door.

Grumbling to herself, Quinn walked to the door and threw it open, revealing a wide eyed Rachel, who appeared as if she had been awake for hours.

"Hello, Quinn! I come bearing a cardigan."

Taking the offered item, Quinn debated on inviting the other girl inside but, before she could come to a decision, Rachel pushed past her.

"You have a very lovely home," she commented, her eyes sweeping over the small living room. "It feels…homey."

"Uh, thanks," Quinn grunted, scooping the package, which Rachel had apparently pushed aside with her foot, off the porch.

"What is that?" Rachel queried, once her eyes landed on the present in Quinn's hands.

"Oh, it's um…it's uh, it's a…" Stumbling over her words, Quinn tried to think fast. She wasn't sure she wanted to share the twelve day gifts with anyone.

"It's a gift!" Rachel exclaimed, delighted. "Are you going to open it?"

Sighing, Quinn sank onto her couch. "I guess so." Her eyes scanned the note, not reading the words out loud.

"On the eighth day of Christmas…

…a true friend gave to Quinn, eight stuffed penguins because Quinn thinks penguins are the cutest ever (this is a direct quote), seven colored shoelaces, six sheets of Lord of the Rings stickers, five snicker doodles, four mini bags of scrap booking materials, three Reese's Peanut Butter cups, two hair ties and one red rose."

"Oh my," breathed Rachel, as Quinn began pulling the items out of the box.

After several minutes of explaining the past seven days to Rachel, and several more where Rachel gushed about how romantic it was, despite Quinn reassuring her it was just Artie being a good friend, Quinn convinced Rachel she should probably be going.

Exactly seven minutes later, she got a text from Artie.

"Heard Rachel came by…"

Gritting her teeth, Quinn didn't reply for awhile. It didn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to realize that Rachel had contacted Artie about the presents.

So now he knew she knew. But she still had to wonder when he would talk to her about it himself.


	9. The Ninth Day

_**December - The Ninth Day**_

The Thursday before Christmas, the mall was extra crowded, full of cranky people who hadn't yet figured out what to purchase for their loved ones. One such person was Artie Abrams who had, as a good friend should, dragged Quinn to assist him in the shopping. Neither mentioned the twelve day gifts but it was clearly on the mind of each teen. On the ride to the mall, they both remained unusually quiet, only breaking the awkwardness when they saw Finn dressed up as an elf for his holiday mall job, consumed by a fit of giggles at the very tall boy wearing an elf outfit clearly made for someone smaller than him. After that, there was very little silence, as the two made their way in and out of stores in search for the perfect gift that Artie could give his to his mom.

"What about this?" Artie asked, holding up the ugliest sweater Quinn had ever seen, while they were investigating the fifth department store of the day.

"Seriously?" Quinn asked as she looked the clothes on the rack in front of her. "Would you wear that?"

Making a face, Artie shook his head. "No…I just…I don't know what to do, Quinn! And Christmas is Sunday!"

Pulling out a black dress that was her size, Quinn contemplated buying it. "Should've started before today…"

Frustrated, Artie wheeled himself to a shelf of scarves. "I did! Nothing seemed right!"

Hanging the dress over her arm, Quinn's gaze traveled over the scarves. "We'll find something great…as long as you don't trust your fashion sense and make sure to get my approval before buying anything…" Trailing off, she smirked down at him.

Narrowing his eyes, he glared at her. "Hey now-"

Cutting him off, Quinn continued with, "Left to your own devices, you might get her…that." Pointing, she indicated a hat that appeared as if it had been fished out of a garbage can in the back alley.

"I wouldn't choose that…it looks like someone just dug it out of the trash." Selecting a pink, cashmere scarf, he lifted his eyes to see Quinn's reaction. "This?"

"It's nice." Stretching her fingers out, she caressed the fabric. "Your mom needs a new scarf. The ones she has now look worn."

"Exactly!"

A few minutes later, they were exiting the store, each carrying a bag. "What else are you going to get your mom?" Quinn questioned, as they made their way toward the elevator that would take them to the mall's lower level.

"What…else?" Artie squeaked, turning pale. "Um…"

Smiling, Quinn assured him that there was a store downstairs that sold that perfume his mom loved.

Relieved, Artie sighed, preparing to roll into the elevator when a voice stopped him. Swiveling his head, he spotted Maddie, his thirteen year old cousin, being hauled over, obviously against her will, by her best friend Laura Lynn (who everyone called by both first and middle names). Groaning, Artie spun to face them.

Amused, Quinn watched as Laura Lynn, who had never been interested in keeping her crush on Artie a secret, wrapped her arms around Artie in a tight hug before Maddie pried her friend's arms off and marched away, yanking Laura Lynn along behind.

"BYE, ARTIE!" Laura Lynn yelled, waving frantically with her free hand.

Dropping his chin to his chest, Artie exhaled slowly while Quinn burst into laughter. Frowning, Artie inclined his head. "Girl can't help but like me. Can't really blame her, right?"

"Oh, yeah…right…" snorted Quinn, attempting to smother her laughter but failing miserably.

Feigning annoyance, Artie flicked an imaginary piece of lint off his sweater. "Don't playa hate, sweet thang."

Arching both eyebrows, Quinn turned her head from side to side as if looking for something. "Don't see any playa's," she said, emphasizing the last word she spoke. "Around here to be hatin' on. And who are you calling sweet thang?"

"Uh…you," he stammered. "And no playas?" A pretend look of hurt crossed over his features and he smacked one hand to his chest then pressed the other on top of it, right over where his heart was rapidly beating inside of him. "That wounds me."

"Sure it does." Winking, Quinn went around him, entering the elevator. "And sweet thang? That's a one time thing, you."

Joining her, Artie stared at her for several long seconds. Just when Quinn started to feel uncomfortable, as she felt she was being scrutinized, Artie turned his line of vision to his lap. Biting her lip, Quinn refused to ask what he was thinking.

About an hour later, Artie had added to his gift for his mom, leaving the mall with a perfume/lotion gift set, a nice frame and a pretty sterling silver charm bracelet. He thought of the afternoon as a success and Quinn told him he should.

When she dropped him off at his house, she almost queried about the presents she had been receiving daily but, at the last minute, held her tongue.

Once at home, she expected to find her ninth day gift but…it wasn't there.

Perplexed, and a little upset, she went inside. It made sense, though, that Artie hadn't been able to leave the gift. He'd been with her all day at the mall. Scuffling into the kitchen, feeling blue, she decided to make herself a big salad for dinner, when her eyes were drawn to something on the table. Getting closer, she realized it was the ninth day gift, a memo from her mom informing her that she had come home on her lunch break and found it on the welcome mat, and her eyes lit up.

"On the ninth day of Christmas…" the note read.

"…a true friend gave to Quinn, nine journals with her initials on them, for her to record her poetry in, eight stuffed penguins, seven colored shoelaces, six sheets of Lord of the Rings stickers, five snickerdoodles, four mini bags of scrap booking materials, three Reese's Peanut Butter cups, two hair ties and one red rose."

Drawing out a journal, Quinn traced the gold QEF inscribed into the brown faux-leather, wondering what she was going to do with…nine times four was…a large number of journals. She would have to write a lot of poetry! And maybe some creative stories, which she had wanted to do for a long time anyway.

Smiling, she sank into a kitchen chair, munching on her cookies and drawing a pen from her purse, a poem forming in her mind. The poetry kept flowing for well over two hours, alternating between Artie and Beth as inspiration, all the while humming "The Twelve Days of Christmas."


	10. The Tenth Day

_**December - The Tenth Day**_

At two am in the morning, Quinn woke up coughing and sneezing. The cold had come out of nowhere and she was afraid it would ruin her Christmas. Without even thinking about it, she texted Artie.

"I'm sick!"

A few minutes later, his response came.

"You are? That sucks."

"What are you still doing up?"

"…my phone just buzzed and woke me up?"

Feeling slightly guilty for waking him, Quinn bit her bottom lip. "Oops, sorry."

"Kidding…I was actually up late playing Halo then went to look for my iPod and couldn't find it…I've been looking for an hour now."

Swinging her legs out of bed, she crept quietly, so as not to disturb her mom, texting Artie back at the same time. "Did you check between the frame of your bed and your mattress? Ends up there a lot."

"Of course I did! First place I checked…I haven't brought it out of my room…"

Reaching the bathroom, she tiptoed in, searching blindly, as she did not turn the light on, for the cold and cough medicine she detested but knew would knock the illness right out of here. "The living room?"

"I said I haven't brought it out of my room…"

Pouring the thick red liquid into a Dixie cup, she held her nose then swallowed it down, making a face and gagging. "Geez, just trying to help."

"You're not very good at it."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn quickly made her way back to her room, as she felt the medicine already beginning to take effect. Once in her room, she threw herself onto her the bed and tucked herself under the covers. "You're not very nice, you." Eyelids feeling heavy, Quinn rested her head on her pillow, waiting for Artie's response. It came a minute later but by then, Quinn was already fast asleep.

Twelve hours after she had arisen the first time, Quinn's eyes fluttered open, sunlight from outside spilling across her bed and blinding her in the process. Stretching, she sat up, noticing her phone, still clutched in her hand, the blinking light alerting her to a text message. Checking, she found that there were two, both from Artie and sent about ten minutes apart.

"I am too nice! I was just being truthful...you failed at helping me find my iPod. :P"

"I'm guessing you're either mad or asleep…probably asleep. Feel better, you."

Feel better she did, much better, most likely due to the cold medicine. After shoving her feet into some warm and cozy socks, Quinn walked into the kitchen, grabbing a poptart and placing it in the toaster. Leaving it there, she went to the porch, where her gift was waiting.

Back in kitchen, while munching on her poptart, she read,

"On the tenth day of Christmas…

…a true friend gave to Quinn, ten Vitamin C's, to help fight that awful cold, nine journals with her initials on them, eight stuffed penguins, seven colored shoelaces, six sheets of Lord of the Ring stickers, five snickerdoodles, four mini bags of scrap booking materials, three Reese's Peanut Butter cups, two hair ties and one red rose."

Plucking one vitamin C up, she put it in her mouth, a grin touching her lips. She pictured Artie running out of ideas and randomly coming up with the vitamin C at two in the morning, after receiving that first text. Holding a stuffed penguin in one hand, a little squeal escaping because of how cute it was, she wondered if this was Artie's way of definitely letting her know it was him.

Should she bring it up? Or continue to wait for him to do so?


	11. The Eleventh Day

_Author's Note: A cookie to whoever can guess why I chose what I did for the eleventh day gift. :)_

_**December - The Eleventh Day**_

Somehow, Quinn's mom had managed to get not only Christmas eve and Christmas day off but also Christmas eve eve, meaning that the Friday prior to Christmas Quinn got to spend the whole day shopping, baking pies and driving around looking at lights, after it became dark, with her mom.

It was a long day, starting at seven am and ending around midnight, but Quinn didn't mind. They were both giggling as they entered the home, late at night, Quinn grabbing her package on the way in. When her mom noticed the large box (the boxes had been growing ever larger as the days progressed), she asked, "Honey, you've been getting a lot of presents lately…do you have a secret admirer?"

Cheeks flushing, Quinn shook her head from side to side. "No, it's not like that. They're from Artie. I mean, he hasn't…hasn't told me that but I just know that they are." Feeling awkward all of a sudden, Quinn moved past her mom into the living room, setting the package on the coffee table. "It's like the twelve days of Christmas gifts but specified to me and my interests."

Studying her daughter's face in the blinking Christmas tree lights, Judy contemplated her response. "That's…probably the most roman- the sweetest thing I've ever heard. Artie must care an awful lot about you to go to such trouble to make your Christmas special."

Sinking to the couch, Quinn was quiet for a couple of minutes before speaking. "Of course he does, Mom. We're best friends. No one knows me the way that he does and…that's it. It's just…we're really good friends."

Hesitatingly, Judy said, "I know, dear." Rubbing her lips together, she thought she might say more but then decided it would probably not be for the best. "I'm tired, Quinny. I'll see you in the morning?"

Nodding, Quinn absentmindedly eyed her eleventh day gift, glad that she didn't have to open it in front of her mom. "Oh!" she called, right before her mom exited the room. "I'm going over to Artie's in the morning, to give him his gifts."

"Alright." Then, with a small smile, Judy left her daughter to present.

Biting down on her bottom lip, Quinn opened the box, laughing when she saw what was inside before even reading the note. Covering her mouth to stifle her laughter, Quinn found the note and skimmed it.

"On the eleventh day of Christmas…

…a true friend gave to Quinn, eleven small Hanson posters, because Quinn loves to mmbop, ten vitamin Cs, nine journals with her initials on them, eight stuffed penguins, seven colored shoelaces, six sheets of Lord of the Ring stickers, five snickerdoodles, four mini bags of scrap booking materials, three Reese's Peanut Butter cups, two hair ties and one red rose."

Taking her phone from her pocket, she texted, "OMG! LOL!"

A half an hour later, as Quinn was in bed, writing in one of her journals about the Hanson posters, Artie texted back, "…what?"

"LOL! Also, don't forget I'm coming over in the morning. :)"

"How could I forget?"

As a reply, Quinn typed, "Don't know…I might be forgettable."

"You? Never. ;)"

Softly smiling, Quinn sent a goodnight, receiving one in return several seconds later, then turned out her light and went to sleep.


	12. The Twelfth Day

_Author's Note: Why the Hanson brothers? Because Popita Fresh secretly loved them! If anyone watched Popular, you'll know who Popita Fresh is. _

_Secondly, this is a...bit longer than previous chapters but I didn't want to split it up into more than one part because this needed to be 12 chapters! _

_Lastly, thank you to all who have read and reviewed this story! I hope you enjoy the ending. :) Merry Christmas!_

_**December - The First Day**_

After peeking around the corner and seeing how happy he'd made Quinn, Artie couldn't help but be happy himself. Of course, he was only concerned with her happiness because she was his friend. It was nothing more and to assume so would be just plain ridiculous.

_**December - The Second Day**_

As Quinn took her seat next to him, Artie couldn't help but notice that she appeared rather…glum, for a lack of a better word. Tilting his mouth sideways, he started to doubt himself and the gifts. Perhaps the hair ties were too lackluster (or lame) and he would have to up the ante. Frantically searching his brain, he recalled every little moment he could think of that had transpired between Quinn and himself, completely ignoring their English teacher drone on about _Heart of Darkness_.

Then he remembered the Batman movie fiasco, i.e., when Quinn had been outraged that the theater was out of her favorite candy...

_**December - The Third Day**_

Once home, Artie discarded his sweater, glancing at the Rudolph on the front, before donning his around the house comfort clothes. Rolling out of his room, he encountered the comical sight of Puck in his kitchen, accepting milk and cookies from Artie's mom, all while being very polite (comical because of the politeness, obviously).

"Hey, Eddie Haskell," he quipped, once his mom had left the room.

Mouth ajar, chewed up cookie displayed for Artie to see, Puck grunted, "Huh?"

Arching an eyebrow, Artie reached for his own cookie. "Leave it to Beaver? Wally's friend?"

Befuddled, Puck continued to stare. Apparently, the guy never watched TV Land.

"Never mind. You gonna help me or what? Won't always be able to drop the presents off myself."

Swallowing his bite of cookie, Puck nodded. "You doing this because you want in her pants?"

Disgusted, Artie glared. "No. I'm doing this because…because Quinn's my friend and I want her to have a special Christmas!"

"Suuuure," Puck replied skeptically, clearly not believing Artie even a little.

Literally huffing, Artie left the kitchen, gesturing for the other boy to follow.

It was time to fill Puck in on his master plan...well, somewhat. He really only needed to tell Puck when to leave the presents.

It would cost him a fee but it was worth it.

_**December - The Fourth Day**_

Figuring Quinn would sleep in late, like always, Artie swung by the McDonald's before they stopped serving breakfast, ordering them both their favorite morning meals (and himself two has browns, also like always). When she showed up in sweats and her hair not styled, no make up on her face, Artie thought she looked more adorable than she ever had. A few minutes later, when she almost fell out of her chair laughing, because he was so hilarious, he had to amend that thought.

_**December - The Fifth Day**_

Artie was an early riser on most days and that Sunday was no exception. But with Quinn's face pressed against his chest, he had no desire to move even a fraction of a centimeter lest she wake and the moment be ruined. Softly, he brought a hand to her hair, letting the silky strands run though his fingers. Right before he allowed himself to fall back asleep, the craziest notion that he liked her as more than just a friend passed through his mind but he ignored it.

Because it was a crazy notion and nothing else.

_**December - The Sixth Day**_

It wasn't so much that Artie felt "naughty" for being extremely attracted to _Quinn_ in her Christmas tree dress but for being extremely attracted to his _best friend _period. He knew he probably shouldn't be and, yet, it was also something that couldn't be helped. She was, after all, the hottest and most beautiful and most poised and sexiest girl at McKinley High but…she was his friend and those thoughts needed to be abandoned as soon as they entered his thought stream. As the afternoon continued, however, he found that releasing such thoughts was next to impossible.

Especially with her wearing that form fitting Christmas tree dress, cheeks all flushed and eyes glowing.

_**December - The Seventh Day**_

That night, when Artie got home, he sat, sort of stupefied, as he considered that day's events. Mostly, his thoughts were centered around Quinn's words to that little girl and the hug that Sam, the idiot, had interrupted. He wasn't sure if Quinn realized just how much she meant to him. He wasn't sure the twelve day gifts were enough for him to show her that.

After getting her text, he pulled himself onto his bed, a thousand different emotions assailing him.

Not one he could (or wanted to?) decipher.

_**December - The Eighth Day**_

Gazing at his phone, mouth open, Artie reread the text Rachel had sent him several times.

So Quinn knew.

He wondered why she hadn't said anything and further wondered if and when she would.

_**December - The Ninth Day**_

The ride to the mall the Thursday before Christmas was painfully quiet, neither Artie nor Quinn knowing how to handle the twelve gifts situation. Several times, Artie almost brought it up but then didn't.

Once at the mall, they saw Finn the Elf, which very much should've been his favorite part of the day, since it served as an ice breaker and was downright entertaining, but it wasn't. That moment was reserved for when Quinn winked at him, after a couple of minutes of playful banter, that made Artie's heart race for reasons inexplicable and best left unexplored. He found himself not able to turn his eyes away from her and only dropped them from her face when she started to squirm.

Examining his fingers seemed easier than examining his heart so on his dry cuticle beds he focused.

_**December - The Tenth Day**_

The tenth day had crept on him and he was completely unprepared for what he could give to Quinn. Plus, he was running out of money. Her text at two thirty am, which he would've missed were it not for his misplaced iPod, gave him a brilliant idea. And since they already had an unopened bottle of those chewable vitamin Cs, it was also cheap. Basically, it was perfect.

_**December - Day Eleven**_

Friday, Christmas eve eve, Artie spent at his grandmother's, helping her to tidy the house for the big Abrams family Christmas get together taking place on Sunday. By the end of the day, he was covered from head to toe in dust. He made sure that his grandma took a picture so that he could show Quinn later.

That night, as he was laying in bed, his huge cat Sal curled up on his legs purring up a storm, she texted him.

He knew she was joking but Quinn Fabray was probably the least forgettable person he had ever met. He could only hope that he was equally as unforgettable to her.

_**December - The Twelfth Day**_

After Quinn read the twelfth day note the third time, she burst into tears. Once she had mostly composed herself, she gathered her things and headed to Artie's.

Bottom lip trembling, which no amount of biting could stop, Quinn hesitantly knocked on Artie's door, ten minutes later, hopping from one foot to the other, sort of anxious for him to open the door. When he did at long last, seconds later, she threw herself into his arms, hugging him. Slowly, his arms wound around her bundled up frame.

"Thank you," she whispered. "This is the best gift anyone has ever given me."

Feigning ignorance, Artie gave her the look he did when he claimed she was acting like an insane person.

Swatting his chest, she cried, "Stop that, you." Standing, she grabbed a box, came in the house and shut the door behind her. Before Artie could comment, sarcastically most likely, she found the twelfth day note and read, "On the twelfth day of Christmas, a true friend gave to Quinn…twelve things to help her remember Beth." Under the note, she had eleven beautiful pictures of her beautiful baby girl and a letter. "You called Shelby, Artie?" She was starting to tear up again, though she was trying hard not to cry. "She's going to set up regular visit times for me and Beth…she's going to visit Lima. Do you have any idea how much this means to me?"

His eyes were shining a little but he only shrugged in response.

Wiping one tear that had managed to escape, Quinn murmured, "I wish my gifts for you were as…I can't even describe your twelve day gifts to me, Artie. Amazing. And…I can't even…" Not able to go on, she put a hand to her lips, blinking rapidly so as to avoid more tear fall.

Unsure of how to handle the emotional girl in front of him, Artie wheeled his chair forward and backward several times. Clearing his throat, he asked quietly, after some time has passed, "Your gifts for me?"

Recollecting why she had come in the first place, Quinn "Oh!"-ed, the dug out two neatly wrapped presents. "Here," she said, handing him gift number one.

Tearing the paper off and casting it aside, Artie found himself holding a soft, blue quilt. "Did you make this?"

Almost giggling at the awe she heard in his tone, Quinn told him she had. "It matches your eyes!"

"It does!" To demonstrate, he lifted the quilt next to his face. "This is my new favorite quilt!" he exclaimed, after they had both agreed that it was just the right shade of blue. "Okay, next!" he fairly shouted, eagerly cupping his hands for the second present.

Grinning, Quinn placed it in his hands, a sly smile on her face.

His reaction to the gift made her laugh. "You…stole my own iPod and re-gifted it to me? Kind of Grinch-y of you, Quinn," he chastised, jokingly.

Rolling her eyes, Quinn pointed to the screen. "Look for the new play list."

Several seconds of searching rewarded him with the "Quinn&Artie Playlist!" Enthused, Artie scrolled through the list. "The Veronica Mars theme song! The lime and the coconut song! Every Ramones song we have ever listened to together! Quinn, this is great! I love the gifts you got me!"

Blushing somewhat, though uncertain as to why, Quinn glanced up, frowned, half smiled, then leaned over and brushed her lips lightly against Artie's. When she pulled back, any and all levity had disappeared. "Um…" Scuffing her foot on the ground, Quinn muttered, "Mistletoe."

Lifting his eyes, Artie saw it and echoed. "Mistletoe."

Both sighed, averted eyes, fake coughed.

Not a fan of the uncomfortable silence, a rare occurrence between the two of them, Quinn said, her voice small, "Artie." When their eyes met, she smiled down at him. "Merry Christmas."

Returning her smile and stretching his hand out to clasp hers, he whispered, "Merry Christmas, Quinn."

_End._


End file.
